When you’re down its hard to pick yourself up sometimes, its hard to enjoy the things you always have.  Shaun Brandel is fighting hard to keep doing what he loves to do and that is drive a race car.  Brandel went out on a limb this year and started to race two nights a week.  That in itself was hard enough for the guy that has little to no help but it got harder last week.  Brandel Blew up the same motor for the second week in a row and that came hours after being informed that he was being let go at his full time job.  He had waved the white flag and told us he didn’t think he would be back until the National Open, Friday he was back!  A stock motor, the tires that were on the car and the optimistic outlook of what could happen on tis night was enough.  What would happen is Brandel would drive to victory.  It wasn’t anyting dramatic like battling with Terry Schaeffer in the closing laps as his first win came.  This time Brandel went from the pole of the feature and had what he needed.  On the track Friday all the power you could get to the ground was for the best which could mean Brandel was set in that department with the stock motor.  The first four cautions of the race came early in the even and then the fifth and final one came on lap 14.  Brandel was unchallenged on all of the restarts and would lead the last 11 laps of the main to get his second career Linda’s win.  The tire went away at the end but other than that the car was good Brandel said.  He ended by saying I don’t like to air my personal issues but you can’t imagine how good it feels to win tonight.  Its hard not to pull for a guy like Shaun, hopefully he can finish the year.  Good Luck Shaun.

Mike Batz, Linda’s Speeedway

9/4/10 – Starting 3^rd in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 2^nd position.  Starting 17^th in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 15^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “The track was very slick and not very racy.  My car was not handling real good either.  It’s so frustrating to have a great base set-up Friday night on the car but struggle when Saturday night comes around.  Back to the drawing board as they say" said Shaun.

9/3/10 – Starting 3^rd in his heat Shaun would finish 4^th in his qualifying race.  Starting 1^st in the A-main Shaun would lead all 25 laps to win his second A-main race of the season at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "What a great night.  I definitely needed this with the last couple of weeks being as rough as they’ve been" said Shaun.

8/14/10 – Starting 7^th in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 6^th position.  Starting 16^th in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 9^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Progress, progress, progress.  Just need to keep moving forward with the set up of this race car after a rough couple of weeks" said Shaun.

8/13/10 – Starting 7^th in his heat Shaun would finish 5^th in his qualifying race.  Starting 9^th in the A-main Shaun would finish 6^th at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "I’m starting to get the race car handling again.  I changed some things and hopefully corrected our issues" said Shaun.

8/6/10 – Starting 8^th in his heat Shaun would finish there in his qualifying race.  Starting 22^nd in the first of two 20 lap twin A-main features Shaun would be hard charger of the race to finish in the 12^th spot.  Starting 12^th in the second of two 20 lap twin A-main features; Shaun would come up to finish 9^th at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "We struggled in the qualifying race but were able to get the car better for the A-main features.  Hopefully we’ve found what’s been wrong with the car" said Shaun.

7/31/10 – Starting 8^th in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 7^th position.  Starting 21^st in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 17^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “I struggled with the car again tonight.  Something must be off; I will have to go over the car this week to make sure everything is lined up" said Shaun.

7/30/10 – Starting 2^nd in his heat Shaun would finish there in his qualifying race.  Starting 9^th in the A-main Shaun would finish 10^th at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "For some reason I just couldn’t get the car set-up like we did the last 2 weeks here.  We’ll come back next week and see what we got" said Shaun.

7/25/10 – Starting 6^th in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 4^th position.  Starting 14^th in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 12^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Still trying new things with the car here at Lanco and missed the set-up for the feature. We avoided some wrecks which I was very thankful for.  I’ll just have to come back next week more on my game" said Shaun.

7/24/10 – Starting 2^nd in his heat Shaun would finish there in his qualifying race.  Starting 5^th in the A-main Shaun came up to finish 2^nd at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "I thought we could repeat but wasn’t able to.  We had a really good run and the car was much better in the feature then it was in the heat" said Shaun.

7/17/10 – Starting 7^th in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 5^th position.  Starting 13^th in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 8^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Car was neutral all night.  Not bad, but not great.  I’m trying some new things out with the set-up of the race car and found something that works at Linda’s.  Now I have to find that “something” that works here at Lanco.  I’m sure with the help of the folks at Hyper Racing; we’ll get squared away." said Shaun.

7/16/10 – Starting 3^rd in his heat Shaun would grab 2^nd on the opening lap and make a last lap pass on the leader to win his qualifying race.  Starting 3^rd in the A-main Shaun grabbed 2^nd on lap 2 and would pass the leader for 1^st with 10 laps to go.  Shaun scored his first victory of the season at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway Friday night.  "This is awesome.  The car worked great tonight; all night.  I was running behind getting the car ready before the feature and didn’t quite get the tire pressure 100% before going out; but it worked out anyways.  When it’s your night, it’s your night" said Shaun.

7/3/10 – The time has come!  The biggest event of the season for the 600 micro sprints is here.  The $10,000 to win 600 Micro Mania race.  Cars from all over the United States came to LANCO Speedway.  78 cars total were entered in the event that night.  With a dual heat race and passing points race format Shaun would start 9^th in the first heat.  Going into turn 1 he was spun and t-boned.  Going back to the 11^th spot for a complete restart Shaun came up to finish in the 3^rd spot by the end of the 12 lap race.  Starting 4^th in the second heat Shaun found out quickly he did not have enough top end gear to run the high side as well as he should be able to and held his own in the 4^th spot but was not able to advance.  By the end of the dual heats for the 600 micro sprints Shaun was qualified to start 12^th in the A-Main.  Racing action was halted however after a competitor had a fatal accident in turn 3 during the C-Main.  He was air lifted from the track and the race was canceled.  "I’m glad that the driver who was involved in that accident in the C-Main is recovering nicely.  It was by far the worst accident I’ve seen at LANCO Speedway.  From a competitor stand point I really really wish we could’ve run this race.  It’s an accomplishment in itself to qualify for these big events; which we did, but you want to see where you would finish in the A-Main once your in the show" said Shaun.

6/25/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun would grab 2^nd on the opening lap; around half way the race car was starting to show it wasn’t set-up quite right.   Shaun would hold on to finish in the 3^rd spot in his qualifying race.  Starting 5^th in the A-main Shaun had a great start and was in 3^rd through turns 1 & 2.  The caution would come out however and give the field a complete restart.  This time Shaun would get jack knifed from behind on the start.  Shaun did a great job saving the car from getting spun out but would lose 3 spots on the initial start.  Shaun didn’t give up and slowly but surely made those 3 spots up to finish in the 5^th spot at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "We got the set-up a lot better in the feature.  Wish that first start would have stayed green.  We had a top 3 car for sure.  Just took to long to make the spots up we lost on the start.  It’s always easier to make and/or lose spots on the start then in green flag racing conditions" said Shaun.

6/19/10 – Starting 7^th in the make-up A-main at LANCO; Shaun would move forward to finish in the 5^th spot.  Starting 5^th in his qualifying race Shaun moved forward to finish in the 2^nd position.  Starting 9^th in the A-main Shaun would finish in the 11^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “I was hoping our 2^nd A-main would be better then our 1^st.  Car handled good in the first A-main but I had to make a lot of cockpit adjustments with my shocks.  For the 2^nd A-main I should have changed the car and shocks a little more; but didn’t.  All and all an ok night." said Shaun.

Shaun also drove Herb Weidman’s #25w 270cc race car this weekend at LANCO.  They continued to work on the car all night and made major progress.  Shaun barely qualified for the A-main but the car was the best during the A-main, and man did it show.  Shaun started the A-main in the 24^th position and came up to finish in the 13^th spot.

6/18/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun would grab 2^nd on the opening lap and finish there in his qualifying race.  Starting 6^th in the A-main Shaun ran there till mid way when he started gaining on the 5^th place car.  As he went to pass the 5^th place car, a lapped car came down on he and Shaun collecting them both.  Shaun would have to take it to the pits with a flat right rear tire and have his second DNF of the season at Linda’s in a similar fashion to his first one.  He would be scored to finish in the 17^th spot at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "I missed the set-up some tonight.  We didn’t have a winning car but definitely a top 5 car.  It’s a shame are run was ruined by another driver" said Shaun.

6/12/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun grabbed the 3^rd spot on the start and finished there.  Rain came on the scene before the features could be run.  They will be made up June 19^th.

6/11/10 – Starting 6^th in his heat Shaun would come up to finish 4^th in his qualifying race.  Starting 4^th in the A-main Shaun ran in the 3^rd position for most of the race.  Around lap 20 Shaun would lose a spot and finish in the 4^th spot at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "Not too bad of a night.  Especially for having to go to our backup engine for this event which is completely stock.  Right rear tire a little too hard again which cost us at least the 3^rd position" said Shaun.

6/4/10 – Starting 5^th in his heat Shaun would finish 6^th in his qualifying race after trying a new set-up that didn’t work out to well.  Starting 18^th in the A-main Shaun gradually came up to finish in the 12^th position at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "Car was a hand full in the heat race.  I put back in “old faithful” for the feature and it was pretty good.  I put too hard of a right rear tire on though so car never really worked 100%.  All and all an ok night though" said Shaun.

5/28/10 – Starting 1^st in his heat Shaun would lead green to checker to win his qualifying race.  Starting 2^nd in the A-main Shaun fell back to the 3^rd spot on the start.  By the next lap he was back up to 2^nd following the leader for the first 12 laps before getting passed and falling back to 3^rd.  By lap 15 there was a heated battle for the lead going on and lapped traffic was coming into play.  Shaun made ground up on the leaders and got by the one car for 2^nd.  Shaun would stay with the leader but was not able to lap traffic much better then the eventual race winner and he would finish 2^nd at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "Well, I’m happy to say we picked up right where we left off here at Linda’s last week.  We had a GREAT car in the heat race.  In the feature it was a little off but I was able to dial it in very closely with the shock/cockpit adjustments.  I feel really good about the set-up in the race car for here on Friday nights.  I need to work on Saturday night set-ups at LANCO though.  Unfortunately the set-ups do not work at both tracks like I would hope" said Shaun.

5/22/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun ran there for most of the race before having to check up on the final lap and getting passed by 1 car to finish in the 5^th position.  Starting 16^th in the A-main Shaun came up to finish in the 13^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Once again another good handling race car not to show the result it was capable of because of bad starting position and an un-racy race track" said Shaun.

5/21/10 – Starting 1^st in his heat Shaun would lead green to checker to win his qualifying race.  Starting 4^th in the A-main Shaun fell back to the 5^th spot where he ran for the first 10 laps.   Making some time up on the 4^th place car Shaun ducked under the car for 4^th position in the 4^th turn only to have him turn down on him and put him in the infield.  Shaun would keep the car going but the caution came out and the track officials put Shaun to the back with the car that put him in the infield.  Shaun would restart in the 22^nd spot with 8 laps to go to finish in the 16^th spot at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "We had a great race going tonight.  We didn’t have a winning car but definitely a top 5 car.  It’s a shame are run was ruined by the other driver" said Shaun.

5/15/10 – Starting 8^th in his heat Shaun finished in the 7^th position.  Starting 23^rd in the A-main Shaun came up to finish in the 15^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Once again another good handling race car not to show the result it was capable of because of bad starting position and an un-racy race track until the feature got started.  I’m glad I’m getting the race car better every week but the tracks hopefully will become more racy in the weeks to come too" said Shaun.

5/14/10 – Starting 7^th in his heat Shaun would finish in the 7^th spot.  Starting 17^th in the A-main Shaun came up to finish in the 9th spot at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "The track was not very racy tonight.  You’re at the mercy of the car/engine when you’re flat footing the race car all the way around the track.  Still another top 10 but disappointing to say the least." said Shaun.

5/9/10 – Shaun will be helping out at the Autism Delaware Annual Drive For Autism Golf Tournament this Thursday May 13^th.  He & Dick Berggren will be going around taking pictures and hanging out with the stars of NASCAR racing.  Some of the guests include Marcos Ambrose, John Andretti, Kurt Busch, David Gilliland, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty, David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace, & Michael Waltrip.

5/8/10 – Starting 6^th in his heat Shaun finished in the 6^th position in a very eventful heat race.  Starting 16^th in the A-main Shaun fell back to 20^th at the start because there was a lot of checking up in the front of the pack on the start.  Once everything sorted it’s self out Shaun came up to finish in the 15^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “Well, this finish definitely does not show how much we gained on the set-up of this race car here at LANCO Speedway.  The track just wasn’t real racy and I felt like I was 3 wide with competitors for most of the race.  It was eventful to say the least.  After I got out of the race car I was looking for a full moon cause it definitely seemed like the racing was hectic" said Shaun.

5/7/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun would finish in the 5^th spot after going over a competitors right rear tire and losing some spots at the start of the race.  Starting 16^th in the A-main Shaun made a move on a car that would cut down on him off the corner causing him to spin out and get t-boned by another car in the back.  Going to the back of the pack (21^st) with a damaged race car Shaun came up to salvage a 10^th place finish at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "Man tonight was some wild racing.  After I got hit in the feature I knew something was wrong with the car because the steering wheel was off center big time.  The car was a handful being snappy loose in the corner cause of the damage but we still had a solid finish." said Shaun.

5/1/10 – Starting 8^th in his heat Shaun was able to come up and finish in the 3^rd position.  Starting 10^th in the A-main Shaun moved up to the 8^th spot by lap 4.  Once again tire selection would play a big part of where Shaun finished and he slid back to finish in the 11^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  “I have to get this tire compound selection problem down.  This time I ran to soft of a left rear tire.  Other then that the set-up was better this Saturday night" said Shaun.

4/30/10 – Starting 4^th in his heat Shaun would finish in the 4^th spot.  Starting 8^th in the A-main Shaun ran in 5^th spot for most of the first 10 laps.  Slowly his tire on the right rear faded away though and he finished in the 7^th position at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "It was a good night but at the least we had a top 5 car.  I have to get better at tire compound selection" said Shaun.

4/24/10 – Starting 6^th in his heat Shaun was able to come up and finish in the 4^th position.  Starting 8^th in the A-main Shaun was able to hold on to finish in the 10^th spot at LANCO Speedway.  "Well, we had an ok night.  Car was just not handling in the feature though.  It was a bear to get around the track.  Hopefully I have the race car set-up better for next Saturday" said Shaun.

4/23/10 – Starting 8^th in his heat Shaun would finish in the 7^th spot having to try and qualify in the most stacked heat of the night.  Starting 5^th in the consolation race, Shaun would finish 4^th being the last car to qualify for the A-main out of the 30 plus cars that showed up.  Starting 24^th in the A-main Shaun charged his way to the front slowly but surely and by the end of the 25 lap feature he moved up 15 spots to finish in the 9^th position at the famous ¼ mile of Linda’s Speedway.  "What a great night.  It was hard to qualify but we knew we had a fast car.  Once the A-main got under way I could tell our set-up was the best it had been all night and our car showed it with us moving up 15 spots from where we started" said Shaun.

4/17/10 – Starting 6^th in his heat Shaun took it 3 wide down the backstretch making a move for 3^rd only to get squeezed up by the wall, nearly missing it.  After getting back control of his race car, Shaun was in the 5^th spot.  Shaun was able to pass one more car before the 10 lap heat was over to finish in the 4^th position.  Starting 11^th in the A-main Shaun’s car was very good for the first 10 laps but then slowly faded.  He was able to make up some spots to finish in the 9^th position.  He nearly edged out 2 cars at the finish line as he and 2 other drivers were 3 wide for spots 7,8, & 9.  "Good opening night here at LANCO Speedway.  I missed the set-up unfortunately.  Kind of bummed about that but it could be worse.  New Spar Engine ran good.  I’m anxious to get it back on the ¼ mile at Linda’s Speedway" said Shaun.

4/9/10 – Starting 2^nd in his heat Shaun and the leader went single file as they went in to turn 1 laying down 10 quick laps finishing 2^nd.  Shaun then started 5^th in the A-main; got up to 4^th by lap 15 and gave the 3^rd place driver a run for his money at the end.  Unable to edge him out at the line Shaun finished 4^th in only his 4^th career start at the ¼ mile track, Linda’s Speedway.  "This was a great run.  I have to thank all my sponsors and a special thank you to Barry Dicely at Hyper Racing for giving me some set-up notes.  I have some ideas for making the car better for the next race and will have my new mounted Spar Engine on; this run was with a stock engine" said Shaun.

9/12/09 - After LANCO Speedway had announced they were rained out for Saturday night's race Shaun Brandel headed to Hamlin Speedway to race in their $1,000 to win "Micro Mountain Nationals" race.  Shaun being his only pit crew for the weekend had a lot to change over before being able to hit the track.  Shaun was not able to get out for warm-ups and barely got out for time trials.  With Shaun never driving on the track before, not to mention wingless; Shaun went out and time trialed 3rd fastest out of 26 cars.  This qualified him right into the A-main and "Cash Dash" race.  Unfortunately before the rest of the evening could get underway; the weather had other plans.  Rain came and rained out the rest of the night.  The rain date is this Saturday September 19th.  It is not 100% but it is looking like Shaun will have to forfit his spot in the "Micro Mountain Nationals" race due to obligations he has to sponsors to finish up the season at LANCO.  "Wow, I have to admit I wasn't real pumped up to go wingless racing at Hamlin but once I saw the lap I laid down in time trials I got pumped up fast.  Once again I was on the rev limit too much and left a lot of speed out there on the track.  I was less then a tenth off quick time; I guarantee had I had the right gear in the car we would've been two tenths faster then the quick time that was set.  Which would've made us had quick time two weeks in a row at two different venues.  It was especially surprising how quickly I was able to adapt to the track and handling without the wing on.  Needless to say I really wanted to get this race in and am 95% sure that the race was ours to lose.  I would love to go back to Hamlin and defend that statement but it looks like LANCO is where I will be racing this coming Saturday.  LANCO is a great track though and we had a great run 2 weeks ago there; so I plan on bringing that momentum and the success we have had the last two weeks to end our season in victory lane" said Shaun.

9/6/09 - LANCO held their annual "Labor Day Shootout" this past Saturday & Sunday.  Shaun Brandel qualified quick time / fastest out of 59 cars registered to race in the event.  Starting 3rd in his heat; the race went green to checker and Shaun finished where he started.  Starting 1st in the "Cash Dash" race later that night; Shaun went green to checker to win the race by a favorable lead.    Starting pole in the A-main event, as a result of him winning the "Cash Dash" race, Shaun led the first 4 circuits.  1st was taken from him on lap 5 and a little after half way of the race 2nd was lost also.  Shaun would cross the finish line in 3rd position.  "This weekend was awesome.  I wanted to qualify quick time in this event for a while now but closest I've gotten in years past is 7th fastest I believe.  The lap we laid down really didn't seem that fast but the track was so slick you had to "go slow to go fast."  The heat was a little disappointing and the car was not rotating the center of the corner very well for that event.  I massaged the set-up a little bit and when we raced the "Cash Dash" race that was the best the car was all weekend.  We actually ran lap times in that race faster then our qualifying time.  So Saturday faired out pretty good for us.  Sunday was when we raced the A-main.  I was sitting in the staging area waiting to go out on the track and the race before us; everyone was running the high side of the track.  Our car was set-up to run the low side.  Unfortunately we did not have enough time to make a gear change by then.  So I tried the bottom for about 1/2 a lap but it didn't take long to realize there was no bite down there.  I ran the high side of the track the entire race, which was fastest, but our car was not geared for the high side.  Between 1/2 - 3/4 of the way down each straightaway I would be into the rev limit.  We were handicapped by how fast our overall top speed would go.  As far as the car handling; that was pretty close.  Unfortunately I dropped the ball on not putting a different gear on the car in anticipation for the high side of the track being run able.  Still though, I'll go home feeling good about this run and hope to bring momentum into the next event," said Shaun.

7/18/09 - Shaun Brandel started 8th in his heat; some cars jumbled up at the beginning of the race and Shaun shot to the outside of them.  Going into turn 1 Shaun was already in 5th spot.  Just as he hit the apex of the corner a car came from the bottom and shot across/over the front of Shaun's race car.  The damaged left him sitting there with no steering and a front wing ripped off the car.  The crew went to work on the car to get ready for the consi.  After repairs Shaun started 11th in the consi and was able to make it up to 5th place in the 12 lap race.  Starting 23rd in the feature Shaun was able to gradually move up through the field to finish in the 14th spot.  "Tonight was one of those nights where after we got ran over in the heat you could tell it was going to be a long night.  The repairs on the car went pretty good but we really didn't get much time to concentrate on the set-up of the car tonight.  We gradually made up spots in the feature but the track wasn't as "racy" as we would have liked it to have been.  We'll come back next week and see what we got for them," said Shaun.

7/11/09 - Shaun Brandel started 13th in a make up feature from back in June at Lanco Speedway.  Gradually Shaun moved to the front to finish in the 7th position.  Seeing how slick the track had gotten after that race; Shaun and Greg got to work on the car to get more bite out on the track.  Starting 5th in his heat Shaun was able to come up and finish 3rd.  The car looking the best it had all evening Shaun and Greg fine tuned the car some more only to have rain come in the area and wash out the evening.  Because all of the heats did not get completed the night is a wash out.  There will be no make ups.  "I'm really disappointed that our feature got rained out tonight.  The car was nowhere near as good at the beginning of the night as it was at the end there.  We had a solid top 5 car for the second feature.  Let's put it this way there was really only one other guy I was worried about beating us for the win.  Still a good night though, we continue to learn about this car and get better every week.  I look forward to the racing this weekend and hope the weather quits raining out our shows.  I think we missed 2-3 scheduled races already because of weather and another 2-3 because of mechanical gremlins at the beginning of a race night.  If I could, I'd race everyday," said Shaun.  We want to take a moment and thank everyone who comes and visits our site.  Thank you to our sponsors as well.

6/28/09 - 96 600cc micro sprint cars were on hand for the race at the famous Lincoln Speedway this past Sunday night.  Shaun started 7th in the first heat and finished 5th.  Starting 1st in the second heat Shaun led with 3 laps to go before getting out motored down the front stretch by another competitor; Shaun would end up 2nd.  Having to run the C-main Shaun started 3rd and finished there.  Starting 21st in the B-main Shaun came up to finish an impressive 8th place finish. Missing the A-main by 2 spots.  "Wow, what a night.  We just kept working on set-up and never gave up.  By the B-main we had the car perfect.  Our car handled the best entering the corners; so while others were slowing down to get turned, I was able to slide under them.  Coming off the corner was another story though.  Our spare engine runs great for all the races it has on it; at the same time we needed more motor to be competitive.  I would end up giving up some of the ground I made up on the field every lap coming out of the corners.  Thankfully, we made more gains entering then we gave up exiting; if that makes sense.  All and all we ended up 28th out of 96 cars.  Not bad considering this was our first Lincoln Speedway Speedweek show raced," said Shaun.

6/13/09 - Well the last 3 weeks have been very eventful.  Shaun Brandel was scheduled to race during Memorial Day weekend at Lanco Saturday night and Trail-way Speedway on Sunday.  Going out for his warm-up laps at Lanco, Shaun's main motor blew.  The following weekend NASCAR came in to race at Dover International Speedway where Shaun spent his weekend seeking an opportunity to go racing and helping out a Camping World Truck team.  The Thursday prior to that weekend Shaun helped out at the "Drive for Autism" event held by Autism Delaware.  I'm told Shaun and Dick Berggren behaved themselves this year but am skeptical.  Finally, on June 13th Shaun started out 7th in his heat race and ended up 5th.  The race went green to checker and was Shaun's first race on his spare motor; which I'm told is good but has plenty of miles on it.  Getting ready to go out for his feature event at Lanco rains would put a stop to that and cause Lanco to reschedule the race for Saturday June 20th.                                                                  

     "Well these last few weeks as said above have definitely been eventful.  Our main engine blowing up really set us back.  We're relying on our back up now.  Still pounding the pavement to get a chance in NASCAR.  Hopefully something comes to fruition soon.  Helping out at the "Drive for Autism" was awesome, as always.  This year was the 2nd year I got to hang out with Dick Berggren during the golfing event.  For anyone that get's a chance to meet Dick Berggren, I highly recommend that you do.  This guy is classy and just plain fun.  We had a great time; and yes behaved as well.  So now this weekend (weather willing) we will go out to make up our rained out feature and then start a regular night of racing.  Thanks to everyone who comes to our site and reads our updates, thanks to our sponsors, and thanks to Artie Kempner and Autism Delaware for a great weekend towards a worthy cause," said Shaun.

5/16/09 - Shaun Brandel started 6th in the heat race.  As soon as the green flag dropped Shaun picked up a 2-3 lb. piece of dirt that lodged in his right front wheel.  Causing an unbearable vibration in the front end and steering wheel, Shaun did all he could to keep the car on the track.  By the time he came off the track he finished in 7th with a blister half the size of his palm on his right hand and tiny blisters on his left hand.  Shaun started 3rd in the consi and would finish there.  Starting 21st in the feature Shaun took on the pain of blisters, missing wrecks happening all around him, and gradually moving to the front to finish out the night in 10th place.  "I swore to myself that we would make the inversion during our heat race this week so that we could start top 10 in the feature race.  Sure enough the mud packed our right front wheel and made the car un-drivable.  Shoot, I was letting go of the steering wheel down the straightaway because my hands were starting to hurt so bad.  By the time the feature rolled around I had my team help me fold a paper towel up into a thick piece and duck tape it to the palm of my right hand.  It was very uncomfortable but it helped take away the pain while gripping the steering wheel.  I knew starting the race in the 21st position I would have my work cut out for me.  I'm pleased with a top 10 finish though.  I figure the car was about 80% on set-up and the driver was at about 80% as well.  For some reason we just couldn't loosen up the car enough all night long.  A tight condition plagued us this past week but we're confident we'll hit the set-up better this week." said Shaun.

5/9/09 - Shaun Brandel started 5th in the heat race.  Going from green to checker Shaun was able to gain one spot finishing in the 4th position with a "bouncy" back end problem in the race car.  Shaun started 15th in the feature.  Gradually working his way to the front and making two risky 3-wide passes on the track Shaun found himself just outside the top 10 with 10 laps to go.  Unfortunately the next time he came around a car went tumbling in front of Shaun tagging the right side of his race car.  Shaun thought he'd be able to finish the race but during the caution flag laps Shaun's right rear tire went completely flat and he was forced to pull off the track.  "Well, appears we didn't get by that last accident without damage.  I knew I made contact with the other car but was praying that my right rear tire didn't take a hit.  Sure enough it was flat and there was nothing more we could do for the night.  The car was awesome in the feature.  We were getting up through the field as best we could.  In the heat the back end was bouncing like I was on a pogo stick.  We believe we fixed that problem and now are getting ready for the races this Saturday.  We continue to get better and better every time we go out.  I'm very confident that with a little luck and good fortune; it will only be a matter of time till we pull in to victory lane in 2009." said Shaun.

5/2/09 - Shaun Brandel started 6th in the heat race.  After sorting out and getting single file Shaun was fighting a loose race car.  Trying to make adjustments while racing the race would go green to checker with no cautions and Shaun finished in the 5th position.  Starting on the pole in the consi race; Shaun led all 10 laps to win in dominating fashion putting a gap of 3/4 of a lap distance between him and the 2nd place car.  Shaun started 18th in the feature.  By lap 11 he was up to 12th spot.  1 group of cars in front of him raced side by side for 10 laps leaving Shaun waiting to pounce on whoever was going to make the pass.  Unfortunately when they finally got things sorted someone ran over the infield tires throwing them in front of Shaun on the track.  As he checked up to avoid the tires he got rear ended and spun around.  With only 5 laps to go Shaun was limited on the spots he could salvage back up.  Restarting in 19th Shaun got up to 15th and missed finishing in the 14th spot by .017 of a second.  "Another hard fought night.  Once again this car has had a different set-up in it each time it has gone out.  In the consi we had a GREAT set-up in the thing.  It was a rocket but it wasn't very maneuverable.  Being we ran out front around no other cars we didn't see this problem until it was too late.  When we got in the feature the car was too tight for us to pass other cars.  We made some cockpit adjustments with the shocks that helped but we still didn't have a winning car.  Another top 10 was going to happen for us for sure though had we not gotten tagged in the back.  This week we're throwing something new at the car again and I'm expecting even better things." said Shaun.

4/25/09 - Shaun Brandel started 5th in the heat race and gradually moved up to finish in the 3rd position.  Starting 10th in the feature Shaun got caught up in an opening lap accident that he could not avoid.  Putting him back in 18th spot before a lap was even put in.  From there Shaun missed many accidents around him during the wild and crazy night at LANCO Speedway.  By lap 8 Shaun was up 8 spots in the 10th position.  Sure enough, Shaun could only avoid so many accidents before his luck was up; and he found himself in a situation again where he could not avoid an accident that happened in front of him.  This accident bent the front axle; but Shaun was still able to drive the car.  Restarting in the 14th position on lap 12 Shaun gradually moved up 7 spots to finish 7th place in the 25 lap feature.  "This was a hard fought night.  One of the hardest I can remember running.  The car was good, I think we had a top 5 car had I not needed to pass most of the field 2 times.  Till I finally got up towards the front and away from the mayhem that was going on mid-pack I had ran out of time.  5 more laps for sure we would've cracked the top 5.  The car worked great and so far just about every time we have had the car on the track a new set-up has been put in it.  We're feeling the car out and getting great feedback.  So we'll go home with our heads held high tonight to be able to bounce back from two accidents to finish in the top 10.  Some repairs will be done to our race car before next week and we'll be back in business," said Shaun.

4/18/09 - Shaun Brandel hit the track Saturday April 18th at LANCO Speedway for the first race of the season.  Still trying some set-ups out; Shaun said "we had some changes we needed to make on the car" after he started 6th in the heat and was only able to gain one spot to finish 5th.  After making those changes Shaun would go out on the slick, narrow grooved track for the feature.  Starting 15th Shaun gradually picked off the competition to come up and finish 9th making him the "hard charger" of the race.  "The car had me nervous in the heat, I wasn't sure we would get back on track but sure enough we did.  Car was pretty close to flawless during the feature.  We just were limited on the places we could put the car because there was really only one groove to run on the race track.  So it was a big night of patience and waiting for the guy in front of you to mess up.  I know we would have had one more spot for sure there at the end but I saw 5 laps to go and knew that everyone really started blocking; so I figured finish 9th and don't risk wrecking the race car.  In those cases though I wish I wasn't in an open wheel car so I could give the guy a little fender going in and bump him up out of the way," said Shaun.

4/15/09 - Shaun Brandel hit the track Saturday April 11th at LANCO Speedway for their Opening Practice Day.  Working the "bugs" out of the new car and trying different set-ups; Shaun finished the day 2nd fastest out of the field.  "The car felt great.  I feel very confident in being able to deliver a good finish at the first race of the season," said Shaun.

11/25/08 - SHAUN BRANDEL WAS VOTED THE SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AT THE ANNUAL LANCO AWARDS banquet HELD at the Lancaster Host Saturday night.  Even though Shaun didn't RUN A FULL SCHEDULE AT LANCO, HIS FELLOW COMPETITORS AND RACE CLUB OFFICIALS WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH HIS ON-TRACK PERFORMANCE AND DRIVING PROWESS, THAT THEY AWARDED HIM THE CLUB'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS HONOR.  TRACK ANNOUNCER BARRY ANGSTADT STARTED THE PRESENTATION OF THIS AWARD BY SAYING "THIS YOUNG MAN HAS BEEN AT LANCO LONG ENOUGH TO BECOME NOT ONLY A VALUED MEMBER, BUT A LEADER IN THE 600cc CLASS, AND THE CLUB ITSELF."  IN SPITE OF RUNNING A LIMITED SCHEDULE, TEAM BRANDEL FINISHED THE SEASON IN THE TOP TEN AS WELL.  "It's awesome for our team to finish in the top 10 in points standings even though we didn't compete in every race this year.  More importantly, I am honored that my fellow competitors and the club would vote me as "Sportsman of the Year," SHAUN SAID.  "It was a nice surprise.  This year wouldn't had been possible if it wasn't for my team and sponsors. I'D LIKE TO THANK DAVE'S AUTO BODY, PACHELLA ARMS, KAYFIELD PAINTS, 4 STAR LETTERING, JLK CONSULTING, AND HOFFMAN POWDERCOATING."  

When asked about next year Shaun replied "I am working my tail off trying to get in a stock car.  Like last year, many things are up in the air.  Some look more solid this go around so hopefully something comes to fruition.  I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LAST YEAR IN THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP GARAGE DURING RACE WEEKENDS, SO AM HOPEFUL THAT THE CONTACTS I MADE WILL LEAD ME TO A STRONG RIDE IN THE UPCOMING SEASON.  All I can do is reach out to teams and do everything within my power; the rest I'll LEAVE up to GOD and hope that he blesses me with the opportunity to show my talents in a NASCAR sanctioned series."

Website Created By:  Shaun Brandel

ShaunBrandel@yahoo.com

Website Hosted By:  John Kelley of JLK Consulting

Pictures Contributed By:  Dick Berggren / www.ShredRacing.com / www.GreggObst.com / www.Racer21d.com